Cigarette extinguisher



y 17, 1951 R. F. LACKER 2,561,124

CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER Filed Nov. 1, 1946 I @023 ZVaVENTORI Patented July 17, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 22,561,124 CIGARETTE EXTINGUISHER Robert F. Lacker, Hamilton, Ohio Application November 1, 1946, Serial No. 707,109

"unbalanced, that is to say, the cigarette burns back toward the, edge of the tray and the butt falls from the end of the tray onto the table or floor.

Ithas been the objective of the present'inventor to provide an extinguisher which includes" means adapted to receive-the lighted end of the 3 Claims. (Cl. 13I237)' cigarette and to automatically grip the lighted end thereby holding the same until the cigarette: is extinguished at which time the cigarettebutt; drops, e. g., into an ash tray.

It has been a further object to so-arrange the parts that it will be impossible for the cigarette butt to fall from the extinguisher structure after it has once been placed therein-in extinguishing position. v

It has been a still further object to provide a cigarette receptacle which includes a plurality of cigarette receiving members each including means effective for seizing the lighted end of the cigarette and holding it within a pocket in such manner that the fire at the end of the cigarette will be smothered and, the butt will be released by the means within the pocket and will automatically drop into the tray.

A still further object is to provide structure of this nature which is of the utmost simplicity, having no moving parts other than a gripping element or elements which act under the influence of heat to grip the cigarettes or the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully apparent from a description of the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved ash tray.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22, Figure 1, showing the details of the cigarette gripping and extinguishing means, in which bimetallic strip IQ is shown diagrammatically.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view detailing one of the gripping and extinguishing members.

Figure 4 is a View taken similar to Figure 3 but showing a cigarette with its lighted end gripped by the bimetallic element within the receiving member.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55, Figure 3,. looking into one of the receiving members.

In general, the improved ash tray includes a base portion 10 and. a central stand I I", the central stand including the extinguishing devices l2l2. It will be apparent that any number of these extinguishing devices may be provided, the only limitation being the amount of space available above the tray. In the present instance two extinguishers are shown.

The tray is of conventional structure including the bottom '3 and a surroundingrim or side wall l4. From the side wall there project diametrically opposite rest members [5, these including arouate grooves 15 having the cross sectional curvature of the cigarette and therefore providing portions upon which cigarettes may be deposited temporarily in the event that the smoker wishes to. resume smoking the cigarette later. In other words, these rests, as distinguished from the extinguishing means, will not extinguish the cigarettes.

Each of the extinguishing devices consists. of a downwardly curved or angularl'y extended portion I7. These portions extend in the present instance diametrically of the stand. Each portion includes a pocket it, the pocket having an open lower end and a closed upper end.

Within the pocket is located a thermal reactive bimetallic element, such as strip It. This U- shaped strip is fixed within the pocket by means of a flange 20 turned at one end thereof and embedded in the side wall of the material forming the pocket. Generally speaking, the bimetallic strip follows the contour of the closed upper end of the pocket. It is comparatively narrow in width and is highly sensitive to heat. Examples of materials that can be used for the bi-metallic hook element 19 are disclosed in United States Patents No. 2,349,577 and 2,234,748. These patents disclose bi-metallic elements comprised of a strip of an alloy of nickel and iron, having a very low coefficient of expansion, welded to a strip of an alloy having a very high coefiicient of expansion composed of manganese, nickel and copper. The preferred thickness for the element is in the range between .005 and .01". The preferred width is approximately Wider or thicker elements may be used but the sensitivity of the element decreases with an increase in the amount of metal that is in it. The element shown in the drawings is approximately 1 long. Any conventional, thin, highly sensitive thermal reactive bimetallic strip may be used.

Normally, the free end of this strip lies fiat against the side wall of the pocket. However, the instant the lighted end of a cigarette is inserted upwardly into the pocket the bimetallic strip curls or flexes dueto the heat, and its free end le presses against'and into the cigarette just inward of the lighted end. This 'flexure forcesthe cigarette into engagement with abutment means within the pocket, as for example, wall portion 23.

Since the smoke from the burning end becomes pocketed, the cigarette soon smothers itself and is fully extinguished. When this occurs, the bimetallic strip cools and relaxes and the cigarette is released and dropped into the tray. This 0peration of extinguishing the cigarette and automatically dropping it into the tray occurs very quickly and thus the unsavory odors normally coming from burning cigarette butts lying in an ash tray never occur.

Formanufacturing:purposes the stand H and the portions H are formed separately. Inthe form shown the upper end'of the stand I 1' includes a socket 2! extended axially-'i'elative to the circular tray. The extensions [1, which are integral,"

include a pin 22 centrally. thereof; This pinpro jects into the socket 2| when-the parts are assembled and-the socket and pin 22 are tapered so as to fit snugly and permanently when pressed together. a

The parts may be formed of glass, or any of the various metals or, in fact, any material which is fireproof and of suficientstren'gth and durability for the purposes intended.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. Extinguishing means for cigarettes or the like comprising a member configurated to provide a pocket, a substantially U'-shaped bi-metal lic element disposed within the pocket, one

end of the U-shaped bimetallic element be-' ing fixed to the wall of said pocket and the other free end, whereby the free end of said element is flexed toward the fixed end under the 2. In combination with an ash tray, extinguishing means for cigarettes and the like, and means mounting said extinguishing means above the ash tray, said extinguishing means comprising a member configurated to provide a pocket having its open end above said ash tray and a substantially U -shaped bimetallic element being fixed to the side wall of said pocket and the other end being free, whereby the free end of said element is flexed relative to, the fixed end under the action of the heat of a burning cigarette in said pocket,

said free end cooperating with the wall of said action of the heat of .a burning cigarette in'said pocket, a portion of the free end of said element cooperating with the wall of the pocket to grip 45 and hold the cigarette in said pocket until the cigarette 'is extinguished.

pocket, to grip and hold the cigarette in said pocket until the cigarette is extinguished.

3. In combination with an ash tray, means for extinguishing a cigarette, and means for mounting said extinguishing means above the ash tray, said extinguishing means comprising a pocket having its open end spaced from, and directed downwardly toward, said ash tray, and a substantially U-shaped bimetallic element disposed within "said pocket, one end of the U 'sha'ped bimetallic element being fixed to; the wall of said pocket and-the other end being free whereby the free end of said element is" flexed toward the fixed end thereof under the action of the heat of a burning cigarette in said pocket," said pocket including abutment means cooperating with the free end of said element to grip and hold the cigarette in the pocket until the cigarette is extinguished.

ROBERT F. LACKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the I file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,385,964. Cobb July 26, 1921 1,740,826 Mattson Dec. 24, 1929 2,005,606 Wall '1 June 18, 1935 2,203,745 Rodene June 11, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS' 7 Number Country Date 607,324 Germany l Nov. 9,1938

Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,561,124 July 17, 1951 ROBERT F. LACKER It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 3, line 41, for free end, first occurrence, read end free;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice. Signed and sealed this 25th day of September, A. D. 1951.

[SEAL] THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

